Suspending a Leg Harness

[Sir Rodney]

Ian,

I spiral lace my pourpoint from the bottom up and I’m left with a lengthy string at my neck opening.  I usually lace it back through the second-to-last eyelet, pull it snug, and tuck the remainder down the front of my shirt.  I don’t tie it in any fashion and have never had the lace loosen on me.  Is this the historically correct method?  If not, what is?

[Ian]

Ian,

I spiral lace my pourpoint from the bottom up and I’m left with a lengthy string at my neck opening.  I usually lace it back through the second-to-last eyelet, pull it snug, and tuck the remainder down the front of my shirt.  I don’t tie it in any fashion and have never had the lace loosen on me.  Is this the historically correct method?  If not, what is?

I don't know exactly how they tied it off or if they did, but I basically do the same thing you do.

[Sir Wolf]

if u look at 15th paintings etc you see the single looped bow knot

[Eva de Carduus Weald]

Ah thank you very much for the link, that makes a lot of sense. And it can get rid of the little bow I have been having on all of my previous garb. It also looks like you could tie the bottom and top together if you really want to. When I make my guard tabard I will ask the seamstress to make off set holes for spiral lacing.

[Ian]

In another thread you asked about a cotehardie being similar to an arming garment.  It's not.  It's not load-bearing.  Either garment I'm wearing in this video will work, the second garment will support both a leg and arm harness though, if that is a concern.  I personally point my arms to my maille, but some people don't.

[Eva de Carduus Weald]

Ohh sorry I missed that somewhere. Hmm well when I get to the point of having a mail shirt I could tie to that. Or it looks like the arming coat isn't too complex I can make it out of stronger material than my usual garb, the coathardie will be made of linen.

[Ian]

Ohh sorry I missed that somewhere. Hmm well when I get to the point of having a mail shirt I could tie to that. Or it looks like the arming coat isn't too complex I can make it out of stronger material than my usual garb, the coathardie will be made of linen.

Honestly, arming garments are whole different discussion on their own with equal complexity to armor in some cases.  But they're in some respects more important than armor, because without a well fitted arming garment even the most expensive custom armor will not function or wear properly.

[Eva de Carduus Weald]

Eeek, perhaps that should be my first research project then. I don't want to buy something and not have it work well.

[Sir James A]

if u look at 15th paintings etc you see the single looped bow knot

^ that's what I do with mine, hasn't ever come undone in 3 years

[Sir Douglas]

The shoulders don't do anything, but I guess it would look weird if you just had a little mini-corset on to suspend your legs

So, um, I kind of ran with this and made a quick prototype for my mail chausses to replace the thick belt I've been using. It's less corset and more girdle though. Kind of like the belt setup we were discussing on FB. I haven't had a chance to properly test it yet, but it does fit very snug around my waist and does seem to have that "lock in" effect. I'll let you know how it goes when I strap some armor to it.

[Ian]

The shoulders don't do anything, but I guess it would look weird if you just had a little mini-corset on to suspend your legs

So, um, I kind of ran with this and made a quick prototype for my mail chausses to replace the thick belt I've been using. It's less corset and more girdle though. Kind of like the belt setup we were discussing on FB. I haven't had a chance to properly test it yet, but it does fit very snug around my waist and does seem to have that "lock in" effect. I'll let you know how it goes when I strap some armor to it.

Leather?  I'm very interested to see how this turns out.  Post photos and your findings, even if it doesn't work.  Experimental archaeology at work!

[Sir Douglas]

Cheap fabric for now, but if it looks like I'm on the right track, I'll probably make another in leather.

[Sir Edward]

Cool, I look forward to seeing how that works out.

Right now, I suspend my mail chausses with a belt, and it's tough to wear it for long periods of time (especially since they weigh nearly as much as a haubergeon). The pourpoint seems completely out of place for circa 1300, and I don't think we have evidence of anything other than belts being used at that time. But for something that's hidden from view, I will cheat like crazy, unapologetically.

[Sir Douglas]

Here's a quick test fit I did today. Excuse the awkward photo angles.




It seems to work very well, and I immediately noticed how much more comfortable it was compared to the belt I had been using. I really didn't even feel like I had it on.
I only wore it around for about and hour, though, and I didn't bother lacing my chausses up completely or donning any arming garments. The Pittsburgh RenFest is coming up this weekend, so I'll see how it holds up to a full day's use and report back.

Here's how I have it all set up. Cute, isn't it?


Again, it's just cheap fabric and a somewhat chinchy construction (I doubt those lacing eyelets would hold up for a long time). I didn't want to go cutting into my good leather until I at least had an idea if it would work or not, but so far, it looks promising.

[Ian]

Very nice!  That's pretty much exactly what I was trying to describe.  It's just got to be more comfortable than a C-Belt or a narrow belt.  I would guess that lacing your chausses up would only make the wear more comfortable, because it should take some weight off the points.  I might try making the belt a little longer length wise, so that the ends are closer together when it's laced tight, if anything just to get more surface area against your body and less stress on the lace.